Many people are obsessed with dieting when they don’t really need to. Conversely, there are many who refuse to accept that they should reduce their body weight when they actually need to. Should you diet and more importantly, do you truly require to shed the extra pounds is an important issue we must address.
Before you start any diet regime, you should be clear in your mind about the actual necessity of dieting. It goes without saying that you should not diet if there is no necessity to do so.
There should be no self-deception on that issue. If the people around you feel you do not need to reduce your weight by dieting but you persist in thinking that, then it is advisable that you ask for suitable medical guidance from your doctor. The doctor’s opinion is the final criteria and must be followed
Today, there is too much stress being put on being super-thin especially on younger women. They are under the maximum pressure to conform to what is popularly regarded as the ideal body type. The media reinforces this image by portraying the very thin as being the most desirable. However, it is not feasible for many people to be excessively thin and in fact, it is most unhealthy to attempt to be so. Unfortunately, many women are influenced by the celebrities portrayed on TV, magazines and the Internet. They are convinced that the only way to achieve those extremely skinny looks is by dieting rigorously.
How do you then find out whether you fall in the category that needs to control their weight? Many measurement devices can indicate the need to reduce calorie intake. One such accepted chart is the BMI (Body Mass Index). This measuring system evaluates the correlation between a person’s height and weight. The statistic thus derived is then positioned on a chart to understand how the individual can be compared on the weight scale. It seeks to establish whether he or she is over, under or within the normal weight range. The BMI however does not consider the body framework of the individual. Thus, it ignores the fact that he or she may have a large or small body type. It also ignores muscle mass in the body. It is possible for a person with big muscles to show a high BMI number but this may be deceptive as he or she may in fact not have excessive weight at all. It is clear that BMI may not be only indicator of optimum weight for all people. However, it is still a good tool for most people to determine the need to diet.
Before any decision to diet is arrived at, one should consult a dietitian or doctor. Only then should an appropriate diet be developed. Any diet is incomplete without a proper exercise regime. Do ensure that you keep your doctor informed about your plans and be aware of the probable consequences such dieting and exercising may have on your health. After all, you do not want to create new problems for yourself than may already exist because of the superfluous pounds!
